Explication of Tim. 38c3–6

As a result of god's reasoning and discursive thought with respect to the 53 genesis of time and in order that time should be engendered, the Sun, the Moon and the five other stars (which possess the name ‘wandering stars’) came to be for the sake of distinguishing and preserving the 5 numbers of time. (Tim. 38c3–6)

Visible and invisible tim

Since there are two acts of creation, as we have often remarked – the one being invisible, single, simple, hypercosmic and universal (holos), while the other is visible, pluralised, multiple in form and divided within the cosmos – there are two corresponding sets of activities. One activity is primary-effective (prôtourgos), changeless and intellectual while the other is secondary-effective (deuterourgos) and proceeds together with motion and dances around the intellect. While the one transcends that which it produces, the other is ranked alongside its products. There has also been a two-fold procession of time into existent things, the first of which is hypercosmic while the other is encosmic. While the first one both proceeds and remains simultaneously, the other is carried along in motion. The time that undergoes participation is likewise two-fold. On the one hand, there is that which exists by virtue of simple participation (kata haplên methexin). On the other hand, there is that in the cycles of the celestial stars which produces months, days, nights and years. Now since there is such a distinction between these two kinds of time, Plato – having provided the conceptions that pertain to the single and simple essence of time – intends to go on to discuss the variety that the [kind] of time that is participated in a divisible manner has – an [objective] toward which the theory (theôria) about the planets makes a contribution (for it is throughmotions of these things dancing around the Sun that the kind of time that is understood in conjunction with [them] is produced). This introduces the ninth Demiurgic gift to the cosmos.